| Duration: | 3 Day(s) - 2 Night(s) |
| Tour Category: | Hiking Tours |
Walking Batons are recommended for this tour, reserved for good walkers.
Day 1: From Col des Bœufs to Ilet des Orangers
In this 1st stage, we will cover almost 19 km, with a difference in altitude of 2600 m (positive and negative) (level of difficulty: medium).
From Saint-Denis, we'll head for Saint-André, continuing to Salazie and then Grand Ilet, until we reach the Col des Bœufs car park. The Col des Bœufs lies at an altitude of 1,956 meters on the ridge between the two natural cirques of Salazie and Mafate, where it forms the entrance.
Three villages or "Ilets" are on the program of the day.
Ilet à Malheur (870 m altitude) takes its name from the massacre in 1829 of around fifty runaway slaves, who lived there in self-sufficiency. The runaway slaves were known as "maroons". After the massacre of the maroons, the slave hunters would cut off their ears and bring them back in pairs to collect the bounty promised for the capture of runaway slaves.
The ilet des lataniers (620 m altitude) is the "wildest" ilet on Mafate. It was here, in 1752, that François Mussard, a hunter of black "Maroons", captured Chief Samson. The trail offers views over Rivière-des-Galets and the surrounding Ilets. Fruit trees grow wild here, including Jamblons, Guavas, and Mangoes.
The Ilet des orangers (970 m altitude); This small village of around fifty inhabitants boasts superb views. Its name comes from the many fruit trees that once grew here. Like the other islets, Orangers was discovered by runaway slaves. A veritable natural fortress encircled by the Grand-mère ravine to the east and the Orangers ravine to the west, its two plateaux are strangely reminiscent of the crenelated towers of a fortified castle.
We will have dinner and spend the night in a gite on the Ilet des Orangers.
Day 2: From Ilet des Orangers to Marlat
In this second stage, we cover almost 13 km, with a positive and negative altitude difference of 1900 m, with a medium level of difficulty.
Three villages are on the program of the day.
The village of Roche Plate almost disappeared in 1965 after a huge landslide blocked the Rivière des Remparts. Today, around sixty people live there. 300 meters before reaching Trois Roches, we'll make a short stop at La Tisanerie, where we'll enjoy crepes and lemonade...
Trois Roches There is a vertiginous waterfall here. Be careful not to go near it, as the edge is slippery and a fall could be fatal. Here you can see the large basalt formations from which the place takes its name: the Three Rocks. We'll take a break in the shade of the Filaos; we can even go for a swim. We are now halfway along our route between Roche Plate and Marla
Marla is the highest of the villages of Mafate, at 1600 meters of altitude. The islet is animated by its bar, honey crops, aquaponics, and livestock...
Dinner and night in a gite on Marla.
Day 3: From Marla to the Col des Boeufs
The last stop of our journey in the Mafate circus. We will travel 7 km for a height difference of more than 750 m. It is possible to extend the return journey by passing through the village of La Nouvelle.
In mid-afternoon return to Saint-Denis or continuation of the stay.
